Which one should you choose, ESET Essential or McAfee Total Protection Essential? Let's do a side-by-side comparison to find out the differences and help you choose the right one. Let's start with a quick comparison.
Quick Overview of ESET Essential vs McAfee Total Protection Essential
ESET essential comes with a firewall and antitheft. It is also compatible with smartphones and smart home devices. It helps to secure the access to your camera. Its firewall comes with WiFi network security. As compared to its higher subscription plans it does not include live guard, folder guard, website settings review features & password manager etc. But with its essential bundle it includes system optimization, parental control, webcam protection features.
McAfee essential offers 5 devices license for its total protection product keeping all the features it offers in basic plan. It comes with Scam detector. Identity monitoring and password manager is included in it.
What I like in ESET Essential
- Parental control
- System cleaner
- Webcam protection
What I like in McAfee Total Protection Essential
- Password Manager is included
- Identity monitoring is included in the essential
What I dislike in ESET Essential
- Lots of options to configure make it a little complex.
What I dislike in McAfee Total Protection Essential
- Missing mic and camera monitor
Features Comparison
Find out the detailed difference between ESET Essential and McAfee Total Protection Essential
Common Features
Features that are common in both software. Check out how each feature is different in both software
Antimalware
Antimalware which protects from malware like viruses, trojans, spyware etc. It includes smart scan, custom scan, full scan options. In its settings you can customize scanning options.
McAfee's Antimalware has multiple layer of protection to protect against all kind of common threats like ransomware, viruses, trojans, spyware etc. McAfee uses AI based malware detection. I didn't found any other feature to configure.
Web-protection
Its web protection comes with anti-phishing capability to protect from dangerous websites. It includes web access protection, browser protection. A browser privacy and security extension for the browser also provides enhanced web protection.
McAfee's web protection alert you about dangerous websites and avoid you to visit phishing websites. McAfee do this with a browser extension named McAfee WebAdvisor.
Firewall
A firewall is included with wifi network security feature to protect unauthorized access to wifi network. Its firewall has option to customize rules. additionally as compared to other antivirus it includes option to evaluate Windows firewall rules and group policy rules.
McAfee uses Windows firewall to control inbound connections and an advanced firewall for the outbound connections. So basically it uses two firewall. I don't know it is good or bad. But it is offering a two way firewall protection.
Privacy-tools
Webcam protection is included with it.
In this plan there is not special privacy features included.
Extra Features in ESET Essential
Features that are only available in ESET Essential but not available in McAfee Total Protection Essential
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Antiransomware
Its malware protection comes with ransomware protection. It has inbuilt protection for the ransomware threats as claimed on its website but I didn't found any setting for the ransomware protection.
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Optimization-tools
It includes a system cleaner feature But I was unable to find any cleaning functionality. As you can see in the screenshot it is just suggesting the Windows settings which have changed from its default settings. I don't know how useful is it because many users intentionally changed some Windows settings. But it is useful for them who need to reset all the settings to default.
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Parental-control
Even in its essential bundle a parental control features is included with it. Setting up it is not easy as you need to understand its working. You have to create a separate user account in Windows to make it work properly. You can create child profile from the eset home dashboard. Good thing is that it also works with android device.
Extra Features in McAfee Total Protection Essential
Features that are only available in McAfee Total Protection Essential but not available in ESET Essential
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Password-manager
McAfee's password manager help you to store, organize and autofill passwords easily. Its password manager is named as McAfee True Key. It is a browser based extension. It has the option to import passwords from other popular password managers.
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Vpn
McAfee VPN let you encrypt your connection and make you anonymous on the internet. McAfee VPN is named as Safe Connect.
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